An open-air walk, an afternoon spent on trekking trails, a visit to a museum or the discovery of the best-known old town centres are fantastic ideas to spend idyllic days.

While all of Italy is abloom in spring, here are a few of our favourite key destinations to visit.

Val d’Orcia, Tuscany

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the perfect example of well-managed Renaissance agriculture and boasts some of the most picturesque views anywhere in Italy.

This rich green valley, which encompasses the Orcia river and from where it derives its name, is in southern Tuscany, stretching between the provinces of Siena and Grosseto. 

During spring, it transforms into rolling hills covered in carpets of electric green grass.

Visitors can enjoy medieval castles, ancient villages, gorgeous farmhouses, isolated homesteads, roads lined with cypress trees, fabulous vineyards and olive groves, and golden fields of grain and sunflowers.

In addition, this region is rich in high quality food items such as pecorino cheese from Pienza (a cheese made from the milk of the many sheep that graze the grasses in the area around the town), genuine extra virgin olive oil, impeccable wine resulting from a long and ancient tradition, saffron, mushrooms, chestnuts, truffles, game such as wild boar and other specialties along the wine road.

The lake district

There are five major lakes in Italy’s lake district – Maggiore, Lugano, Como, Iseo and Garda – and each is an idyllic destination during spring.

The lakes are famous for their flower-filled landscapes, opulent villas and gardens, pretty towns and villages perched on the water’s edge, and mountainous backdrops.

Embraced by green wooded escarpments and backed by the snow-capped Alps, Lake Como is the most dramatic of the lakes.

The westernmost lake, Lake Maggiore, has a special attraction: Isola Bella, the most romantic of the three Borromean Islands, famous for their palazzi and gardens. 

Lake Garda, Italy’s largest and easternmost lake, is surrounded by rolling green hills and gardens, vineyards, lemon trees and olive groves. 

Lake Garda. (Photo: Pixabay)

Puglia

The southern region of Puglia is the perfect springtime destination.

Visitors can enjoy eating outdoors in one of the region’s several characteristic restaurants, and tasting seasonal delicacies and fresh local seafood.

Soak up the splendour of the white beaches of the Salento peninsula and visit the charming town of Otranto with its quiet but captivating atmosphere.

Spring is also a great time to visit the Botanical Gardens of Bari, which is an old massive country estate containing a huge collection of exotic plants and dozens of different varieties of roses. 

It goes without saying that the ancient trulli houses in Alberobello are a must-see.

These curious conical-roofed whitewashed structures, clustered in pockets of Puglia, are an icon of the region.

In fact, this peaceful part of southern Italy is the only place they have ever existed. 

Alberobello. (Photo: Pixabay)

The Dolomites

The Dolomites are great for skiing in winter and hiking in summer, but when it comes to the combination of vibrant green pastures, beautiful flowers, and just a trace of snow on the mountains, this area dazzles during spring.

The Dolomites is a mountain range, which expands across almost the entire northern alpine territory of Italy.

Its unique pinnacle-like rock formations, meadows of wildflowers and alpine lakes have earned it a UNESCO World Heritage title, along with its steep history, culture and geology.

Hiking and biking trails reopen as the snow melts, the roads become full of cyclists, and the Via Ferrata and dolomite walls are again ripe for climbing.

Val di Funes. (Photo: Pixabay)

Campo Imperatore

Although people often pass it by for Tuscany or Umbria, the countryside of Abruzzo is stunning.

Worth a visit  is Campo Imperatore, an alpine meadow not far from L’Aquila, which happens to be the largest plateau in the Apennine Mountains. 

In the springtime, shepherds emerge from neighbouring hill towns to graze sheep, cattle and horses there.

Wildflowers grow in abundance and for real flower enthusiasts, there’s the Alpine Botanical Garden, which features around 300 species of plants and flowers indigenous to the mountainous region.

Campo Imperatore. (Photo: ANSA)